Well, last Thursday, my daughter's favorite band, 30 Seconds to Mars, was playing in Petaluma. Close to a three-hour drive for us. But she worked for her own ticket money, her friend chipped in for gas, and it was "PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! I'LL DO ANYTHING YOU WANT! ANYTHING YOU SAY!"

Aw, shucks--how could we turn her down?

So we arrange for Cameron to spend the night with his aunt, I get off work early, and we're off to Petaluma.

Now my wife and I? WE don't get to see the Jared Leto show... that's strictly for Rebecca and her friend Megan (they've got their photo collage for autographs, their arms are coated with band insignias, and they've got the red dominos made up across their eyes). So WE have to find a way to keep ourselves amused from approximately 7:00 to 11:40 PM in the Petaluma heat (impressive even during the evening).

The drive was fun enough--Mapquest just LOVES to send you through construction zones... but we made it in time regardless. And free parking on the street, too! And while we're waiting for the doors of the theatre to open so we can see the young ladies safely inside, here comes band member Tomo! And guess who goes crazy? Get this--my wife is bold enough to go over and ask Tomo to stop by to say hello--he does, and he poses for pictures with the girls (which I snap myself), and once again, we're the coolest parents in the world.

So Lisa and I wander off--check all sorts of restaurants and finally settle on a popular local cafe that accepts the right cards. Now imagine a Crabby Patty sandwich with fries and cole slaw, a Great White brew to wash it down, and an "authentic" James Bond martini for dessert. Ah. Nice mild buzz, hours away from any driving, and ready to face the evening.

And just ONE multiplex in town. And tickets are NINE dollars a pop. And it's the last chance to see A SCANNER DARKLY before it disappears from pretty much everywhere.

But if you're interested, I sure hope you get a chance to see it--I was quite caught up in this Linklater-animated experiment (even if two of the stars of the Coppola Dracula movie WERE in it). I was... er... "hooked" from the beginning--watching the aphid infestation, the stealth suits, and the infuriatingly convincing (you'll see what I mean) Robert Downey Jr. performance--now THERE's a character to reckon with!

Yes, we know that it's a sad tribute to victims of true-life drug abuse and that the science-fiction elements are a MacGuffin of sorts. It's not BLADE RUNNER, and it CERTAINLY isn't PAYCHECK. I must confess that I haven't read the novel, even though I should, but I've also been assured that it has been given a thoroughly faithful representation here. The animated technique works beautifully, and the performances are convincing and top-drawer throughout. You KNEW it would be a box-office disaster already, right? So be one of the twelve that DID catch it on the big screen.

Okay--it's 11:40--time to pick up our daughter and her friend at the show. No problem getting inside--nobody's checking tickets once it's over, and we had no real problem joining the girls in the "meet and greet" line (sure enough, you've got to buy a CD or something in order to get in the line, but we weren't after autographs for ourselves or anything).

Rebecca is collecting autographs and hugs from the band members (no photos allowed in line)--Jared Leto himself is at the end of the table and is using many a cheerful vulgarity until he notices that... er... parents might be observing. My daughter's life is completely fulfilled as she reaches his end of the table--she's got all four signatures, she's gotten a hug from Jared...

...and even though I often LOVE to set her off with a 30STM wisecrack at home, I do nothing to embarrass her on HER night. I reach over, shake Jared Leto's hand and say "Thank you for making my daughter's year." And he says "Thanks for bringing her" like a perfect gentleman.

And we don't get home till 3AM. And we get 3 hours of sleep before we have to get ready for work. And I run on fumes the whole next day.

Fuck, man. I really want to see this movie. I think it's booked at the Music Hall (the almost art hourse located a half hour away) toward the end of the summer. I'll have to see if I can catch it before it goes off to DVD.

I loved the rotoscoping for The Waking Life, though I've never made it through that movie. Ironically, I've fallen asleep on both tries.

I'll be happy to finally see a faithful Dick adaptation should it find its way down here. As much as I love my TOTAL RECALLs and such, they always seem to play his ideas as gimmicks rather than exploring them with any sort of depth.

In other news, I have never heard of '30 Seconds to Mars' or this Jared guy. Until now.